Window cleaning mechanism



1954 w. NARAJOWSKI wmnow CLEANING MECHANISM 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Oct. 10. 1950 INVENTOR. fl/Acz /z/ MRAJOWJK/ Feb. 16, 1954 w. NARAJOWSKI WINDOW CLEANING MECHANISM 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Oct. 10. 1950 mm M %%w E f V w 0 m mv j M Patented Feb. 16, 1954 UN I TED S TATES enrwm OFFICE l Thisinvention relates 'towindow cleaning de-' vices and more particularly tonew-and improved mechanism which facilitates the efiicient, cleaningof both sidesofa window pane simultaneous,- 1y;

It hasbeen found-that window-cleaning devices utilizingmagnetically coupled leader 'and'follower members for operating on -both sides-of a window pane at the same time, such asdisclosed in the pending United States; patent application Serial No. 44,085 entitled Window-Cleaning- Device, now abandoned, and of which-this application is, a continuation-impart, may be modified in certain novel respects to improve the operating; characteristics thereof. wheel or bearing-means maybeprovided according; to the invention to; reduce the frictional; resistanceto startingof themembers in any given direct-ion and to impart greater smoothness and efficiency'to the cleaning operation on vertical surfaces. These wheel means are provided according-to the invention with two sets'of. bearings adapted toaccommodate thrust in two'- mutually perpendicular directions, one ..parallel" to theplane of-movement of the members. and

the other normal thereto-., a I

It'has alsobeen found that'for any'givenwheell or bearingsuspension a, certain; optimum magnetic coupling force should obtain betweenthe',

companion members and that; a magnetic couy pling properly establishedfor-a pane ofonethickj- Hess-will necessarily vary from; this optimum.

value on a pane, of different thicknessTIfQ the" thickness of the pane is increased, for. examliila.

orif' the magnetic coupling otherwisebeconi a weakened; the follower member mayj.b,e...unable,

to duplicate effectively allmovements, of theleader 'member.. If the thickness. of; the. pane is decreased, hence strengthening the. ma netic. coupling by virtue of'the fact; that the; mag:

netic: members are closer together,, .the,.b ear'- ings may become overloaded. Accordinglytheinvention provides. an improved. magneticcom.

pling arrangement whereby the, couglingidrtes accommodate panes may be adjusted. .to of various thickness, and. otherwise .compjensate; for: changes in the. strength. ofLthie. mas:- netic coupling overthe. work Iifejoflthedevice.

'Ijhe efficient cleaning of window anessm'avm volve the use of at; least. two, cleaningflimplement such, forexample; as a, wetted brush .a a squeegee used one'after the other. Ac'cor carrier members together with cleaning impl'e ments of different types adapted to be inter- Thus; for example; improved $13!". the invention provides magnetically coiipledi 7 Claims. (Cl. =1'5 220 provided for a, complete. cleaning operation.

The. cleaning, implements must. bedesigned vto .op.- crate effectively when displaced over. thewindow. pane in accordance, with. the: movementsof wheeled.carriervmembersh According-to the inv nt n a. brushv attachment is provided which. may. be detachably mounted on, acarrier member and which carries a supply or waterinaddition. tothatrwhich may be .entrainedin. the bristles of the brush.

thej ;foll;owing. description ofv one of. a preferred embodiment. thereof taken. in conjunction. with,

the accompanying drawings in. which 'Fig ,'1" is a view in side. elevation showing. a.

pair of substantially. similar. leaderland follower. carrier members.magnetically coupled on oppo,- sitesidesjof awindow pane, the; leader carrienbeing s'hown in cross section taken on the line l--lv of'liig, zlookinginthe direction of. the arrows;

Fig, 2 is a viewjof.the.under-.side of theleadercarrier; looking. in .thadirection, of the, arrows,

Fig, 3. is a view in side elevation of a. portion of one of, .thewheel assemblies of.-the,carrier members;.

4, isa view of. vtheunder-side of.v thelcom ponent partsshown, inFig;., 3

Fig. 5. is a view. in cross section taken on the line 55 o.f.1Fig, 4. looking inthe, directionof. the, arrows;

Fig, dis a plan. view. of one of the carriermem-- bers showin a; squeegee. attachment. afiixed thereto .Fi'g. T is a: side View of thesque'e'gee. attachment. shown in Fig, 6;,

Fig; 8 is a: planview of. a. brush attachment, adapted. to be .detachably. secured. to. the. carrier m mb rs. and.

Big 9.:is an. endiview of. the brush attachment; shown in R se 8.

Referring. to; the drawings. and; to: Eigs, 7 1+5 in particular there is shown a window-cleaning device formed according to the invention comprisinv the case of the..squeegee. it,.is. necessary that the, squeegeengage the working.

ing broadly two companion carrier members or vehicles I and H hereinafter called the leader and follower carriers respectively. The leader and follower carriers are magnetically coupled by means described in detail below so that they may be placed on opposite surfaces of a window pane W and the movements of the leader over one surface will be duplicated by the follower over the other surface. The leader and follower carriers l and l in the illustrated embodiment of the invention are substantially alike and only the leader carrier need be described in detail herein, with like components of the follower carrier being designated with like primed reference numerals.

The leader carrier It! includes a housing shell I2 of plastic or the like which may be formed with a handle E3 on its outer surface. The handle is formed with a hole M by means of which a safety cord or tape may be attached thereto, the other end of the cord being attached to a handle l3 formed on the follower carrier H. The handle [3 on the leader should afford a comfortable grip for the operator, whereas the handle 13 of the follower, which is not used once the carriers are in position, may be of less elaborate design.

The housing shell I2 is formed on its underside with four rectangular openings [6 (Fig. 2) at its corners and four substantially conical recesses i1 comprising part of the wheel assemblies described below.

Received within the housing shell l2 for limited adjusting movement normal to the pane W is a shaped magnetic core l8 formed with four depending pole pieces 19 which extend through the openings It in the housing and which are properly polarized to attract the corresponding core I8. The cores I8 and I8 may both be formed of a good permanent magnet material such as Alnico 5, for example, or alternatively one core may be a permanent magnet and the other a magnetically attractable member of soft iron, for example, which is not permanently magnetized. To adjust the position of the core 18 so that the gap between its pole pieces l9 and the corresponding pole pieces IQ of the follower member, an adjusting screw 20 is provided which is anchored in the core l8. The free end of the screw 20 is received in an aperture 2| formed in the housing shell l2, and an internally threaded adjusting knob 22 is threaded on the screw 20. A resilient spring member 23 and washer 24 are interposed between the core and the housing to apply tension to the screw to hold the core l8 yieldably in position.

A pointer 22a may be formed on the knob 22 and cooperating calibrations 22b (Fig. 6) may be formed on the housing to afford an indication of the relative position of the core within the housing. The core in the follower may be similarly adjustable or alternatively only the core in one of the carriers may be adjustable.

Received in each of the four recesses l1 formed in the under-side of the housing is a wheel assembly indicated generally by the numeral 25 and shown in Figs. 1 and 3-5. Each of the four wheel assemblies 25 in each carrier is identical and only one need be described in detail herein. As shown in Fig. 1 in cross section, the wheel assembly includes a circular rotary member 26 formed with two annular channels or indentations 21 and 28 which in cooperationwith corresponding annular channels or indentations 29 and 30 respectively formed in the recess l1 comprise outer and inner ball-bearing races. The inner and outer ball-bearing races are fitted with rings of bearing balls 3i and 32 respectively. The rotary member 26 is thus mounted to rotate freely about a central axis normal to the plane of the surface W and a retaining ring or washer 33 is provided to hold the member 26 against its bearings. The retaining washer 33 also 00- operates with the body of the member 26 to shield the rings of ball-bearings 3| and 32 from dirt and the like, but may let in the water as a lubricant.

The ball-bearings 3!, operating in the inner race defined by the opposing channels 28-30 are arranged to accommodate thrust normal to the plane of the surface W and the ball-bearings 32 in the outer race 2l---29 are arranged to accommodate thrust parallel to the plane of the window W.

Each of the circular rotatory members 26 is formed eccentrically of its axis of rotation with a recess 34 which receives a wheel 35 rotatively supported on an axle 3B clamped or otherwise secured in the member 26. Each of the wheels 35 may be fitted with a semi-hard rubber tire 3'! over a web formed of a suitable light material such as aluminium or plastic, for example. Each wheel may also be provided with a sleeve or ball type bearing to facilitate free rotary movement. Thus each wheel assembly comprises a freely rotatable wheel carried in a novel selfaligning carriage j ournalled in the carrier housing and particularly adapted to operate on a vertical surface. It will be understood, for example, that the plane parallel to the surface W and containing the ring of ball-bearings 32, which accept thrust parallel to the pane W, passes very close to the axes of rotation of the wheels 35. Thus binding of the bearings 3| is prevented and the members 26 are free to align themselves quickly without canting with the random directions of movement of the carrier. This is particularly important in minimizing starting friction, whch might break the magnetic coupling between the carriers.

Referring now to Figs. 6-9 there are shown two detachable cleaning implements comprising a squeegee attachment 3B and a brush attachment 39 adaptable to be interchangeably received on the carriers for working equipment with the surfaces of the pane W. It will be understood, of course, that a typical cleaning device might comprise two carrier members, two brush attachments and two squeegee attachments.

There is shown in Figs. 6 and 7 the squeegee attachment 38 which comprises a rectangular frame having side rails 40 and 4| joined by narrow transverse rails 42a and 42b. The frame is thus formed with a central opening which re ceives the carrier, the frame being adapted to engage a pair of rims 43 and 44 formed on either side of the carrier housing. The carrier may also be formed on either side with rounded extensions 45 and 46 which engage the rails 40 and 41 respectively in a frictional clamp. If desired, a spring detent or other latch means may be provided'to secure the frame on the carrier.

The side rails 40 and 4| are each formed with downwardly inclined slots 4'! (Fig. 7) each having an enlarged opening 48 at the inner end. A transverse spring clamp 49, formed with lugs 50, is received in the slots 41 and is pivotally attached at 5| to the rails 40 and 42 for limited pivotal movement about an axis parallel to the surface W.

accept-s The; pivoted. spring; clamp; is.adaptedto.= em-- brace. a rubber'squeegee blade 52 having. an enlarged orbeaded: edge 521;, which may; be encased;

incli at o o th b ad -..:-In1 thisrfashion a.

window paneinay be sgueegeed by severalstrokesv ofca er without stre k n and-.;withou-t int odu n addition friction b tw n thebiade Stand thes rfa e; Wraswould be. caused by mov nea sq e n; the d n io of its; incline.- tion. 1

V Toeifect unidirectional'action of the blade, a driving, linkage is provided comprising a pair of wheels 55 and 56 journalled in: the rails. and 4t respectively and, adapted to roll upon the surface W.

A hub portion 55a,(Fig. '7); is for-med on the wheel .55- and cables. or flexible bands- 51 are strung between the hub and the squeegee as,

follows. One cable 51. is attached at one-of itsv n s o alus 8 formed. on the upp ur a of the clamp, and passesupwardly over a smooth pin or pulley 59, over a similar pulley on the pivot. 5| and thento the hub 55a to which it is secured by a. rivet 60m The. other cable 5! is attachedto the hub 55a by a. rivet 60b and passes about a pin or pulley, fil to attach to a lug 62 formed 0 .1 the under-sidev of the clamp 49. In operation as the attachment is moved over the surface W in the direction of the arrow in Fig. 7, the wheel 55 willbe rotated slightly in a countercl ckwise direction causing the hub 55a to apply tension to the cable connected to the lug 62 and slacking off the cable connected to the lug 58, thereby pulling the squeegee blade 52 instantaneously into working engagement with the surface W. Movement of the squeegee attachment in the other direction will apply tension-to the cable connected touthe lug 58 and will slack; off the cable connected to the lug 62, thereby pivoting the clamp and squeegee blade in a counterclock-I wisedirection to raise the blade from the surface. In this fashion a carrier, having the queegee tt ment; fi fi fi thQlZ OI ma b moved to and fro on the wet. pane W with the squeegee engaging the surface in response to movement in one direction only.

"The detachable brush attachment 39, as shown in :Figs; 8 and 9, comprises a rectangular frame 63"formed with a central opening 64 by means of which it: may be fitted on a carrier member to engage the rims 43 and 44. A pair of detents, or looking lugs 65 may be provided on the frame to engage the extensions and 46*01? the carrierto secure the attachment in place. A rectangular strip 66, in which bristles 61 are embedded, is attached to the rectangular frame 63 with the bristles 61 splaying obliquely outwardly as shown in Fig. 9 to engage the surface W. This arrangement of the bristles decreases friction and generally improves the cleaning action of the brush. A sponge liner or insert 61a may be provided between the bristles and the frame for carrying an additional supply of water or other cleaning media, and a second sponge liner 61b may be provided "which; may engage the surface '-W- to supplement the cleaning action of the brush.

In conformance with standard practice the cleaning cycle for windows comprises first-using the brush attachment wetted with the cleaning medium followed by-the squeegee attachment.

The particular form of the invention herein described and illustrated in the'accompanyingdrawings is presented merely as an example of how the invention may be applied. Thus, for

example, it will be understood that it the magnetically supported follower carrier which is particularly critical with respect to its wheel'means; and that the novel and effective wheel "assembly disclosed herein may be used forthe followerand a simple and less efficient wheel arrangement may be used for the leader carrier which isunder thedirect-control or'the operator. Also the detachable cleaning implements may be designed;

tofacilitate the cleaning of window panesby the use of cleaning media other than water. Thus, for-example, various chemical or drycleaning methods may be used and it will be understood that the carrier members are capable of operate ing on wet or dry surfaces alike. Other forms and embodiments of the invention coming within the proper scope of the appended claims will readily suggest themselves tothose skilled in the art. I

I claim:

1. In a cleaning device for operating on both surfaces of a window pane simultaneously comprising a pair of carrier members adapted tobe disposed on opposite surfaces of the pane, and magnetic means for maintaining said carriers in corresponding positions on opposite surfaces ofv the pane so that one carrier as a follower on one surface of the pane may duplicate the movement of the other carrier as a leader on the other surface of the pane, theimprovement comprising a plurality of wheel assemblies for at least one of said carriers, each of said wheel assemblics'in cluding a rotary member having an axisof rotation normal to the plane of the window pane, a wheel journalled in said rotary member, first hearing means between said rotary member and said carrier for accepting thrust in a direction normal to the pane, and second bearing means between the rotary member and the carrier foraccepting thrust in all directions parallel to the pane, said wheel being disposed eocentrically of the axis of rotation of said member, the axis of rotation of the wheel being contained in a plane substantially parallel to thatof the window pane,

- said second bearing means being contained in a surface of a window pane, comprising a pairof' carrier members adapted to be disposed on opposite surfaces of a window pane, and each of said carriers including a housing, magnetic means supported in said housing, the improvement comprising a plurality of wheel assemblies carried by said housing, each assembly including a circular rotary member journalled in said housing for rotary movement about an axis normal to the plane of the pane, first bearing means between said rotary member and housing for accepting thrust in a direction normal to the plane and facilitating free rotary movement of said member, annular second bearing means between said housing and rotary member for accepting thrust between the rotary member and the housing in all directions parallel to the pane, and wheel means journalledin said member eccentrically of the axis of rotation thereof for engaging the surface of the window pane, the radius of said annular second bearing means exceeding the radius of the said wheel plus the amount of eccentricity representing the spacing of the center of rotation of the wheel from the axis of rotation of the rotary member.

3. In a cleaning device for operating on both surfaces of a window pane and the like, comprising a pair of carrier members of substantially similar design adapted to be disposed on opposite surfaces of the pane for concurrent movement thereupon, at least one of said members comprising a housing shell having an under surface with a plurality of openings therein, and a magnetized core member movably received within said housing and having a plurality of pole-pieces received in certain of said opening in the housing, the improvement comprising a plurality of wheel assemblies received in the other of said openings, each of said wheel assemblies comprising wall means forming a conical recess, said recess having first and second spaced apart annular channels formed therein, said channels being contained in spaced apart planes parallel to the surface of the pane, a rotary insert member received in said conical recess and having formed therein first and second annular channels corresponding to and opposing the said first and second channels formed in the recess and forming first and second ball-bearing races, first and second rings of ball-bearings disposed in each of said races, the first of the ring of ball-bearings being adapted to accept thrust in a direction normal to the pane and the second ring accepting thrust in all directions parallel thereto, retainer means for holding said rotary member in the re cess and a wheel rotatably journalled in said rotary insert member eccentrically of the axis of rotation thereon, the axis of rotation of the wheel being parallel to and closely adjacent the plane of said second ring of ball-bearings.

4. A cleaning device as set forth in claim 3,

including a screw member anchored in said magnetic core member, said housing being formed with an opening in the outer surface thereof to receive the outer end of said screw, resilient spring means interposed between the housing and the magnetic core member to urge the latter in the direction of the pane, and an adjusting knob attached to said screw on the outer surface of the housing, and cooperative calibration and pointer means formed on said knob and housing for indicating the approximate position of said magnetic core member with respect to the surface of the pane.

5. A cleaning device for movement over the surface of a window pane and the like, comprising a shell portion, a flat bottom portion on the shell adapted to be disposed adjacent the surface to be cleaned parallel thereto and formed with a plurality of openings, magnetic means received within the shell and having a plurality of pole pieces projecting through said openings, means for displacing said'magnetic means in adjusting movement within the shell to vary the extent of the projection of the pole pieces through the openings, wall means carried by the bottom portion and defining a plurality of recesse disposed among the projecting pole pieces, said recesses being formed with annular bearing races having surfaces both parallel and normal to the surface to be cleaned, and castor wheel means received within said recesses, with the axes of the wheel means being disposed closely adjacent the plane of the bottom portion and within the circumference of at least one of the said bearing races.

6. A cleaning device for movement over the surface of a window pane and the like, comprising a substantially rectangular shell portion, a flat bottom portion on the shell adapted to be disposed adjacent the surface to be cleaned and parallel thereto, said bottom portion being formed at its respective corners with openings, inwardly convergent wall means carried by the bottom portion forming a plurality of frustoconical recesses therein, magnetic means mounted within the shell portion having a plurality of pole pieces projecting through said openings, said magnetic means being constrained by the inner walls of the shell to move normal to the surface to be cleaned, screw means reacting between the shell portion and the magnetic means for adjusting the position of the magnetic means within the shell to vary the spacings of the pole pieces from the surface to be cleaned, means forming at least two annular bearing races in each of the said recesses and spaced different distances from the surface to be cleaned, the innermost race being of smaller diameter than the outer race and each of said races having surfaces parallel and normal to the surface to be cleaned, castor wheel means received in the recesses comprising a circular carriage portion having bearing races for cooperating with those of the recesses, bearing balls in said races, and a wheel rotatably mounted on the carriage and having an axle which is disposed parallel to the surface to be cleaned and disposed closely adjacent the plane of the said bottom portion and within the circumference of the outermost bearing race.

'7. A cleaning device as set forth in claim 6, said shell portion being formed on its outside surface with lateral extensions for carrying cleaning attachments.

WACLAW NARAJOWSKI.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,160,121 Allen Nov. 16, 1915 1,193,678 Fowle Aug. 8, 1916 1,633,479 De Rosa June 1, 1927 1,758,723 Thatcher May 13, 1930 2,096,502 Wetzel Oct. 19, 1937 2,494,696 Forbes Jan. 17, 1950 2,507,559 DAndrea May 16, 1950 

